Dear AR Students & Families,
It's been an incredible year of renewal, change, and returns at AR. We continue to adapt to our new reality without the SSC building, and though the loss still stings, it has also opened up new opportunities and inspired creativity. The Lakeview Room is becoming a new nexus for AR! This Friday, April 21st, Ms. Wozny's English classes will host the annual Poetry Gallery of Learning there, and next Wednesday, April 26th, Lakeview will be a part of our Career Symposium organized by Academic Advisor Brooke Martin!
Recently, we introduced our new College Registration Guide to students (find it on our website's Counseling page!). This Guide helps AR students in key ways. First, it ensures consistency in how CR/AR registration policies are administered to students, and standardizing these processes ensures programmatic stability. Second, these guidelines are designed to help students pace sustainably through their four year sequence at AR and increase capacity for students to invest in and build out their college application package in other sectors such as volunteering, job experience, extracurriculars, summer programs, and campus initiatives. With the diminishment of SATs and the rising prevalence of similar college credit bearing high school programs, admissions departments are looking for other ways in which students distinguish themselves.
After listening to students and families, I would like to clarify certain policies established or sustained by the new College Registration Guide. For example, online classes, which were restricted pre-COVID, have been frequently utilized by AR students since the pandemic. We have seen poor results in regards to work completion and grades when multiple online classes are attempted at a time, therefore we have limited students to only one online class per term. Not a full return to previous practice, but a practical adjustment to support access and sustainability. It should be noted that college transcripts and GPAs are permanent, we take our role as stewards for AR student’s lifelong educational goals very seriously, and thus we take tremendous care in the situations we put them in. The 9 unit cap for 3rd years is a small adjustment to help students progress in their skill building and academic growth with the capacity to also thrive in their school and home communities. Students who lean into AR's program still have the opportunity to attain 50+ UC/CSU transferable college credits at no cost. Furthermore, by focusing on less college courses at a time we expect to see learning outcomes and college GPAs improve. UCs and CSUs start capping transferrable units at 60.
Finally, we do not guarantee, and no longer encourage, the completion of an Associates Degree in high school. We are certainly proud that our average graduate completes 40 units, but we don't see that next level to an Associates Degree as helpful for the student or beneficial for their social and emotional wellbeing. Getting an AA requires summer classes and usually a board-approved unit cap exception, which puts the cost of tuition at CR on the family. For many AR students, these hurdles mean that an Associates has never been an option. An AA does not improve college admissions prospects, whereas A-G Completion (access for which is guaranteed at AR) and advancing along the UC/CSU IGETC sheet are important factors in college admission considerations.
Our students at AR have demonstrated the ability and desire to work hard. That's a critical component to success in our society. With that established our students are at an advantage, because now we can focus on helping them work more effectively. We're not doing right by our students or our families by graduating 4th years who are exhausted and burnt out. An AR graduate should be fulfilled, bolstered by a strong school community, well positioned and prepared for college and career success, and energized for what's next on their limitless horizon. Please reach out if you have any questions about our emphasis on wellbeing and sustainable achievement, your voices and our conversations make the future of AR and our students ever more resilient.
Sincerely,
Principal King